Onondaga County COVID-19 death toll rises to 60 with 19 previously uncounted nursing-home deaths

SYRACUSE, N.Y. — The death toll from COVID-19 in Onondaga County jumped by nearly 50 percent to 60 on Thursday, after New York State informed the county about 19 people who died at nursing homes that were not previously part of the county’s count of virus deaths at hospitals.

“It is our belief, unfortunately, that we have 60 individuals in our community that have died from COVID-19… [we are] very frustrated by that,” Onondaga County Executive Ryan McMahon said to open his remarks at Thursday’s daily coronavirus briefing at the Oncenter.

It is the county’s belief that the 19 state-reported nursing-home deaths haven’t been part of the county COVID-19 death toll, which before Thursday stood at 41.

“These are 19 people I had no clue we lost,” McMahon said. “We’re a little surprised that we didn’t know this information.”

The county executive noted that the state regulates nursing homes so data on deaths and tests at those facilities has to come from the New York State Health Department and communication with the department has been “problematic.”

McMahon said he would provide further clarification and confirmation on this matter on Friday.

The county executive went on to report that Onondaga County now has 1,234 cases of COVID-19, up 56 from Wednesday. The county has 60 people in the hospital, up nine from Wednesday. But that number is deceptively high, says McMahon.

“Many of these new cases are related to folks who are being dropped off by nursing homes where these folks are asymptomatic and are not sick enough to be in a hospital. This has been an issue all week,” he said.

McMahon added that he has spoken with nursing home managers about the problem and is working on a solution where such patients would be transferred to other nursing homes prepared to handle COVID-19 patients, rather than hospitals.

Of those recovering in a hospital, 14 are in critical condition, up two from Wednesday. McMahon also reported that 661 people have recovered from the virus, up 29 from the prior day.